


Act IV - the Last Five Years

by Browneyesparker



Series: Love Scenes [4]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Angst, Broadway, Divorce, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-22 01:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/907048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker





	Act IV - the Last Five Years

_“Go and hide and run away, run away. Run and find something better. Go and ride the sun away, run away like it’s simple, like it’s right.”_

**Still Hurting, the Last Five Years_**

**VII _._**

It happened just like Jane said it would. Six months after the divorce papers were signed, he started to feel like himself again. The intense ache in his chest had ebbed to a dull pain, and he had started to except that she was never coming back. He had finally put their wedding pictures away and he didn’t have to change their song when it played on the radio anymore.

The memories he had made with her, as bittersweet as they were, had finally gotten easier to think about. He no longer wanted to get rid of them or act like they never happened. He was learning to live with them, learning to realize they had helped shape who he was becoming as a person.

And he had started to date again. It wasn’t anything serious, nothing long term. But it was still nice to go out with a girl who looked at him like he was the most interesting person in the world. It was nice to know that he didn’t have to be alone forever when he was finally ready to fully move on.

Six months, and he could finally smile again.

He knew he was going to have to try for a little while longer, a little harder. Especially when their friends brought her up in conversations, or when he heard little tidbits about the new man in her life.

But he also knew that given some time he would be okay.

**VI.**

“It’s over between us _again_. She said that the passion between us had died out, that she feels like she was staring at a smoldering pile of ashes,” Wayne Rigsby told Patrick Jane as the older man plied him with strong Earl Grey tea. “She wants a divorce. I’m still struggling to understand what happened, I thought we were good. A lot of couples go through periods where there isn’t any passion. Where you wonder if you’re going to make it out unscathed and then you do, right?”

Jane hesitated, weighing his words carefully and then he nodded. “It _does_ happen sometimes. And sometimes, couples don’t survive. Be thankful that you were lucky enough to have her for the short amount of time that you did.”

“I didn’t want a short amount of time,” Rigsby said, as he glanced towards the living room where Teresa Lisbon was sleeping curled up on the couch. “I wanted forever just like you and the Boss. I thought we would have forever. And now we don’t have anything. All that’s left is a memory palace full of events that a part of me doesn’t even want anymore.”

“It will be hard at first,” Jane replied. “It’ll feel like you won’t ever move on, like you’ll have an ache in your chest that won’t ever go away and then one day, you’ll realize that the ache has dulled considerably until it’s completely gone, and all your left with is the _good_ memories. The good feelings that you had when you were with that person. And then you’ll realize that you can move on. You just have to be a little patient because feeling normal again can take a while.”

Rigsby shook his head, his words were dripping with a mixture of sadness and desperation. “I just want to fix things Jane. Why can’t I ever fix things?”

**V.**

“It’s time to move on Wayne,” Van Pelt said not looking at him as she returned home after working the late shift at work.

“What do you mean that it’s time to move on!?” he asked, panic rising to his chest.

“I want a divorce,” she answered. “I don’t love you anymore. I don’t even know how we made it this far.”

“But Grace, it can’t be over!” Rigsby protested. “ _I_ still love you, _I_ still want to be with you—”

“No!” She replied firmly, shaking her head vigorously. “It’s over! I don’t feel anything for you anymore. You don’t really want to live like that do you?”

“Don’t you still care for me even a little bit?” Rigsby asked quietly.

Van Pelt softened slightly for a moment and then she shook her head again. “I don’t care enough to stay. It’s like the passion between us has died out completely and I’m staring at a pile of smoldering ashes. I can’t live like this.”

“There are periods of time when there isn’t any passion in a relationship, but couples survive it. Why can’t we try and survive it?”

“I’ve been trying for a long time now,” Van Pelt answered. “I just can’t seem to make it work. I’m sorry. Don’t hate me. . . please.”

“I could _never_ hate you,” Rigsby assured her, looking at her and trying to smile as he stood up. “I’m going to go out for a little bit. I’ll be back later.”

**IV.**

_Five years later_

They had fallen into the same old dull routine. Early mornings streamed seamlessly into late nights. A week seemed eight days long. Their secret was out in the open and they were both working with different units in different towns. She had a better position, with more while he was stuck on a team with Cho, Jane, and Lisbon doing the same old thing that he did before they had ever even met.

 Regardless of how busy they got, he always made time for them. But she was so over Chinese food dinners and stolen kisses in the coat closet, she was over French vanilla flavored coffee. She was done picking Ben up from school every other day, and watching _Finding Nemo_ with him on Friday nights. She had eaten her last bowl of birthday cake ice cream and helped finish her last science experiment. She’d taken the dog out for the last time.

She was ready to find her own identity again and shed the one she had donned when she had married the Rigsby boys.

She had fallen out of love and become disillusioned with the imperfect little family that culture said you needed to have to be happy.

She was ready to break free from the chains of routine and find something new.

She just needed to find a way to break the news to Rigsby gently because she knew it was going to break his heart.

And the last thing she wanted to do was break his heart.

She wished he could move on as easily as she had.

**III.**

Van Pelt couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting. The day was warm, the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. And everybody she loved the most had come out to witness her vows to Rigsby.

As she made her way down the aisle to where Rigsby and Ben were waiting for her, she thought that she was going to explode with happiness.

She wondered what had made her avoid Rigsby and her feelings for him for so long when this is what she had always wanted. She didn’t know how she had survived without him for so long, why she had protected her heart for so long.

She wanted to be his wife.

She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

She just managed to swallow her squeal when the minister pronounced them man and wife, and told Rigsby that he could kiss the bride.

She could barely wait to start forever with him.

**II.**

“Marry me,” Rigsby whispered as he pulled a small box out of his back pocket. “Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth, please.”

“We’ve barely been back together for a month!” Van Pelt replied, looking at him and the velvet ring box in surprise.

“But we’ve _known_ each other longer than a month,” Rigsby reminded her. “I knew I wanted to marry you the day that we met. I love you and I will treat you like the queen that you are if you say yes.”

She hesitated again, unsure of what to say next as a million scenarios raced through her mind. She knew that he was right; they _had_ known each other for years. Then there was Lisbon and Jane, they had gotten married exactly three weeks after they had started dating. And they were both more in love than ever, it seemed like they fell a little more for each other with every passing day.

If Jane and Lisbon could make it (when they never should have made it in the first place) Van Pelt was _certain_ that she and Rigsby could make it too.

“Yes,” she decided. “Yes, I will marry you! I love you too!”

Rigsby smiled almost triumphantly and took her hand, gently sliding the ring on her finger. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gave her one of the most passionate kisses that she had ever experienced.

“You won’t regret this!” He promised between kisses. “I promise that you won’t regret this!”

“I know,” she replied, returning his kisses. “I know.”

**I.**

“This was a good idea,” Van Pelt said as they left the movie theater hand-in-hand. “We should do this again sometime. A real date instead of just skipping straight to the bedroom things, I like going out with you. I had fun.”

“I’m glad,” Rigsby replied. “I had fun too. We should _definitely_ do this again sometime. You can pick what we do next.”

“Even if it’s a nature hike or a bike ride, or even a yoga class?”

“Sure,” he answered easily. “I don’t mind doing that stuff as long as we’re together.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it and get back to you then,” Van Pelt said cheerfully as she pulled out her car keys and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “Goodnight Wayne.”

“Goodnight Grace,” Rigsby echoed, returning her kiss with a chaste one of his own. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Van Pelt waved as she slid into her car. “See you tomorrow!”

Rigsby watched her drive away, trying hard to hide his excitement that they were starting to make progress in their relationship again.

He couldn’t wait to see if they were headed towards forever.

He wanted them to have forever. It was something he had been waiting to have with her since the day they had met.

He wasn’t quite sure about it yet, but he had a good feeling about them this time around.

He had a feeling they would make it work this go around. That they would make it work, and that they would be happy forever.

He couldn’t wait for forever to start.

**_The End_**


End file.
